Aquatic physical therapy for Parkinson’s disease

Abstract

One of the predominant effects of PD is alteration of motor skills, which leads to compromised posture and physical balance. Aquatic physical therapy, performed in a heated pool, can serve as one of intervention alternatives for PD carriers. Aim: To analyze the effects of the Halliwick Concept hydrotherapy in acquisition of motor skills in Parkinson's disease (PD) patients. Methods: A clinical, qualitative method was used to evaluate 7 volunteers (59.85 ± 7.92 years of age, both male and female), who were in II and III stages of PD according to the Hoehn & Yar Scale. The participants were evaluated in the start and end of the interventions phase, and then the evaluation was conducted interventions in a heated pool (32˚C-34˚C) twice a week, each session lasting approximately 30 minutes, totaling 10 sessions. The Halliwick Principles' 3phase 10-point methods were used for acquisition of aquatic motor skills. Results: They indicate an improvement in their ability to float in prone and supine positions (P = 0.04 *) and longitudinal rotation in the bipedal position. Conclusion: The activation of motor control improved the motor skills of the participants.

Effects of water-based exercise on functioning and quality of life in people with Parkinson’s disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis

“…44 In the study of Palamara et al 24 it was shown that the association of water-based exercise with conventional physical therapy shows an improvement on balance of Parkinson's disease people with a maintenance of this effect after six months of the end of therapy. Our meta-analysis showed that water-based exercise was associated with improvement for balance, balance in activities of daily living, mobility and, Zotz et al 6 and Vivas et al 31 in their studies show that water-based exercise with Halliwick method is important in the acquisition of motor skills in people with Parkinson's disease and also to promote improved balance and mobility.…”

“…Water-based exercise is an exercise modality considered safe and effective in the rehabilitation of elderly and people with neurological disease. 6,7 Water-based exercise provides an environment in which patients can initiate their exercise earlier when they are not able to control weight bearing on land. In addition, the aquatic environment reduces joint overload as a result of the effect of buoyancy on the body.…”

The safety and feasibility of a Halliwick style of aquatic physiotherapy for falls and balance dysfunction in people with Parkinson's Disease: A single blind pilot trial

“…Balance. There was minimal change in balance when measured using the BBS post intervention in groups after adjusting for baseline scores (Fig 2B) [18][19][20][21][22][23]. No improvements in balance as measured by the Mini BESTest were observed in the other groups.…”

“…A study by Zhu, Yin, Cui, et al [22] compared parts of the Halliwick concept in a general aquatic program to aquatic obstacle training, but the focus of this study was to reduce freezing of gait. Another study has utilised the Halliwick method with PD patients, but did not use any standardised outcome measures to monitor change in function nor report any safety outcomes [23]. We currently do not know if using the complete 10 step Halliwick concept in people with PD is safe.…”

Body Balance and Core Training in Parkinson’s Disease: A Longitudinal Crossover Study

“…Yang et al [12] showed a correlation between step length, dynamic balance and the displacement of the center of gravity. Many authors recommend physical activity to subjects suffering from PD, including aquatic exercises [13], physical activities accompanied by music [14] and resistance training [15]. The physical decline caused by PD in its early stage can be well fought by focusing on movements able to increase muscle longevity and to maximize muscles functional capabilities [16] [17].…”